Mistaken identity claims innocent’s life at hospital in Delhi

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, July 15

An innocent person, Riyazuddin (32), was killed due to mistaken identity of the target at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital here on Sunday.

A teenager, along with three others, came to kill a criminal, but ended up killing a patient inside a hospital ward.

Metal detectors, armed guards at gates

New Delhi: The Delhi Government has decided to deploy two armed guards and metal detectors at emergency entries of hospitals, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Monday after meeting members of a doctors’ body over incidents of violence at health facilities. The meeting between the minister and the representatives of the Federation of All India Medical Association came a day after the Sunday’s incident inside a ward of the GTB Hospital. Two men have been arrested in connection with the case.

The men belonged to the group of gangster Hashim Baba, while the criminal was from the Nasir gang. The firing inside the hospital happened due to gang war, the police said.

Riyazuddin was admitted to the hospital earlier this month and was undergoing treatment for abdominal infection.

2 kids lose father

Two young children have lost a father due to an unfortunate incident in which he had no role to play. — Faheemuddin, brother of deceased

The three assailants barged into Ward No. 24 of the surgery block and fired rounds at him, leaving him dead on the spot. The criminal, who was on the target of the gangsters, was shifted from the same ward on Saturday.

Riyazuddin’s sister, Tarannum Malik, who was with him during the incident, along with the doctor, went into shock. The assailants fired at her as well, but she somehow managed to escape from the ward.

The victim’s brother, Faheemuddin, said, “I had left the hospital 10 minutes ago to freshen up. I received a call from my sister, I rushed back and saw my brother in a pool of blood.”

His relative Sirajuddin said Riyazuddin was a dentist. He completed his studies at a Dental College in Hapur. “After completing his studies, he worked under his father, who was also a dentist. He later opened a clinic of his own, but it was functional for only a year before he got addicted to drugs.”

He added that Riyaz had been unemployed for seven years. He is survived by his wife and two children — a six-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy. “He became mentally unstable; however, he continued consuming drugs. For the past two months, he had been suffering from an abdominal infection. He had his first surgery in May, and the second was to be undertaken.”

Faheemuddin said, “Two young children have lost a father due to an unfortunate incident in which he had no role to play.” Riyaz was the eldest brother. Faheemuddin, the second eldest, drives an autorickshaw for a living, and the youngest, Raeesuddin, works at a clinic.

After analysing the CCTV footage, the police said four people were seen entering the hospital emergency gate. The assailants had come to kill a person who was admitted to the bed opposite Riyazuddin’s.

The target of the assailants had been admitted to the hospital on Friday for treatment of a gunshot injury. “He had a rivalry with the Hashim Baba gang, and these persons came to kill him but killed Riyazuddin instead,” an official said.

With the help of CCTV footage, the police identified the assailants and arrested two persons. They obtained their Instagram IDs and mobile phone call records. “One of the suspects, Faiz, was arrested from Loni in UP, and another accused, Farhan, from Chauhan Banger in Seelampur,” they said.

During interrogation, Faiz told the police that Faheem, alias Badshah Khan, was the mastermind of the incident. “Faiz and his two brothers — Faujaan and Moin Khan – used to meet Faheem at his flat in Babarpur. He used to work for the Hashim Baba gang,” the official said.

On Sunday, the police said all of them were at Faheem’s flat, where he instructed them to kill a person admitted to Ward 24 of GTB Hospital. “Faheem had even guided them on how to flee after committing the crime. The bike used in the crime was provided by Faiz, who, along with Moin, returned to their home in Loni,” the official added.

Meanwhile, the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) and Nurses’ Association of the hospital went on strike, raising concerns about the safety and wellbeing of nurses, doctors, staff, patients and visitors.

The nurses have gone on an indefinite strike until security arrangements in the hospital were improved. Medical professionals at the hospital are currently attending to only emergency patients, according to a member of the RDA.

The protesting doctors and nurses claimed that despite the administration agreeing to their demands previously, no training was provided to security personnel, and security arrangements have not been enhanced yet.

In response to the hospital administration’s letter requesting a meeting, the association insisted that “everything will be discussed among all its members and doctors who are on strike in front of the media, not in a room with just two to three members”. The administration opposed this approach, the RDA claimed.